True Loyalty
by MackGranite2015
Summary: Alternative Universe. Ozai plays host to a child with undying loyalty. But will he turn out to be more than a mindless servant? This may turn out to be Ozai's only regret. Rating may change as necessary.
1. Permanent Guest

**A/N: This is my first story. I appreciate constructive criticism. I have read quite a few of these so I get the gist. Well here it is, my take on an Avatar: the last Air bender AU.**

He had finally done it. His father was dead and the throne was his at last. Nobody could stop him now, with the comet returning after almost one hundred years he could finally finish the dream his grandfather had started. First he needed to clean up some loose ends his father had been incapable of handling. Or perhaps he had left them there to test his successor. It didn't matter though. Right now he had to take care of his biggest issue, one of the Fire Nations highest nobles was a traitor. His first act as Firelord, Ozai would make it a point that treachery would be dealt with swiftly and justly.

A man in his late forties perhaps, his wife and two young children no older than ten, were brought to him in shackles by armed guards in the dead of night. They were all still wearing their decadent robes after being roused from sleep. The father, a high ranking nobleman, was the first to speak. "Ozai, what is the meaning of this!" The expression on his face grew cold. He knew that disrespecting Ozai, now Firelord, was probably a death sentence for his whole family. "Qin, you very well know the meaning of this meeting. Or perhaps you think I am stupid enough to believe that you had no idea what was going on with your own funds." Ozai replied, a malicious glow on his expressionless face. "My lord" Qin replied "I can explain" he stuttered "You see..." "The fact that you can explain only proves your treachery more!" Ozai was furious. No, furious does not even begin to describe this feeling. "Take them back to their cells. They are to be publicly executed tomorrow, the world will learn to fear to fear me." The weight of these words was disrupted by the emotionless tone of the smallest child who, until now, had been completely silent.

"Firelord Ozai, I request a private audience with you." The child coolly announced. The entire room was dead silent. Qin sat there eyeing his youngest son with the oddest expressions flashing across his face. "Very well child." Ozai gestured to have the rest of the terrified family from the throne room, glowing only by the light of the magnificent flames that usually cloaked the shadowed form of the Firelord.

After it was clear that the rest of the family was gone, the child spoke, ever so calmly, as if speaking to a close friend and not the head of his country. "My name is Kai, I am the youngest son of former admiral Qin." Ozai was impressed, the child knew standard protocol for identifying oneself to the royal family, perhaps Qin had enough civility towards the Fire Nation to teach his children this much. "I have and always will be loyal to the Fire Nation and the Firelord, I had no involvement in my families treachery to the crown and I am willing to prove it to you tonight. Anything you want done will be done to prove my loyalty." Ozai was very impressed and was going to see just how far this child would go to prove his loyalty. "Very well young Kai." Ozai was smirking at the idea of the task he was about to impose on this child. Calmly he reached into his robe and drew the dagger. It was small, perhaps only five or six inches in length. Handing it to the child he simply told him "This dagger is yours for the night, do with it what you will and perhaps when you return it your life will be spared." The child took it without a moments hesitation and, looking the Firelord directly in the eyes, gave a nod. It was a small nod, it could easily have been missed but it wasnt and the messsage it gave was clear. Ozai knew when that child returned, he would spare his life. For he was about to declare his true loyalty to the Fire Nation.

It was several hours later that the hooded figure emerged from the shadows of the hallway. As he neared the throne Ozai could smell the bitter sting of fresh spilled blood. As the light flicker of the flames danced onto the face of the guest. They were not alone, the shape of a young girl, perhaps eight or nine was also there. Dressed in her pajamas and washed over with the look of tiredness. She had been awoken by a young servant who told her that he father wanted to see her. As the hooded figure emerged, the dagger held tightly in his blood soaked hand, he spoke only several words. "Thy will be done." Ozai, a bit surprised to see the figure back so soon, greeted him as a member of the royal family. He had earned the right and would now be staying in the palace, in the room directly across from Princess Azulas. The young girl now eyeing him a bit coldy, he had been greeted by a servant who took him to get washed up and into bed before a long day training with the now Fire Nation Princess.

Neither of the two young children really knew why Kai was being allowed to stay in the palace and live amongst royalty, but neither dared to question the Firelords decision. Kai didnt mind it, it really wasn't that different from the life he had previoulsy known. Servants to dress and tie up his hair, chefs to prepare whatever food he desired and fire bending training politics and history classes. He was given a private tutor for said subjects with Azula. In fact, they spent most of their day together. He had found himself being friends with her friends Mai and Ty Lee. He liked Azula the best though. She was always in step with him. They were equals no matter what they did. Even in fire bending, which Azula prided herself in being the best at, was a stale mate. She found it more interesting than always training by herself. Mai was his second choice. She rarely spoke and when she did it was always something worth saying. Ty Lee was his second least favorite. She was always jumping around and hugging and kissing him. She was always weird like that. It didnt matter who you were, Ty Lee could find a reason to hug you. And then there was Zuko. The Eldest son of the Firelord. He was a poor bender, he lacked any real skill other than his compassion, which was viewed as a weakness in the eyes of the Firelord.

The years passed rather uneventfully, other than Ozai calling on Kai's inablility to feel regret for killing people. Whenever someone was deemed a traitor the Firelord called upon Kai and tasked him with the job of putting an end to them. It was amazing really. He could kill any one he wanted and never have the slightest hesitation in doing so.

By the age of twelve, Kai had been sent on more than enough "errands" and was becoming quite skilled at bending. One of his greatest moments was spent with the Princess.

It was late. The sun would be rising in a matter of hours and the bustling Capitol city would awake with it. The Princess was asleep in her chamber when the door began to creep open so as not to make a sound. He snuck in very quietly under the cover of night. As he approached her he reconsidered. She was a very powerful bender and waking her in the middle of the night dressed in all black was a very bad idea but the anticipation was killing him. He reached over very slowly and tapped her shoulder with this wrist. She was at his throat before he could even breath. "Who are you and why were you trying to snap my neck!" He can barely breath with her hand crushing his wind pipe. Very roughly he responds. "Azula. Its Kai." She drops him very weerily as he pulls off his mask revealing the ever emotionless face that is Kai's. "What were you thinking. Sneaking in here at night dressed in all black. I was going to kill you!"


	2. A True Prodigy

**A/N: Reviews are welcome. I am open to ideas for new chapters or even new stories. I hope not to take to long to put up new chapters but with school, you know, that old tune. Well here it is chapter 2.**

Kai new it wouldn't take much convincing to get Azula to come with him. It combined the two things she loved most in the world, sneaking and firebending. After their brief scuffle in her bed chambers, he explained to her what he had found. They were ancient scrolls depicting some very interesting firebending techniques and he had them now. Of course, they had to travel quite a ways by foot to avoid being seen with them. They would surely get in trouble for being out past curfew but they didnt care. They only had one thing on their minds and that was firebending.

After walking for almost an hour it seemed, they arrived at the perfect place. It was deep enough in the forest that they would not be seen and it was open enough not to burn the whole forest down by practicing. Kai opened the small bag and took out the scrolls. Five of them were wrapped tightly in scarlet ribbon. But two of them were sealed with an electric blue ribbon. He set those two aside for later. The first scroll he opened depicted a very unusual move. Using your mouth to firebend seemed ridiculous until now. After only four attempts between the two of them, Azula was the first to do it successfully. It took Kai only one more attempt after that.

The second and third scrolls were practically the same and very simple it seemed. Create a swirling vortex of flame by spinning your hands in a circle. However, when the two children attempted it they could only create a small vortex, perhaps only a foot wide. The drawing showed it being six or seven feet wide and ten or twelve feet long. It took many tries for either of them to even come close, but this time it was Kai who succeeded first. Azula followed very shortly afterward. They were both amazed at how closely there skills rivaled the others. The fourth scroll was something they had both seen before, fire daggers. One flame in each hand coming to a sharp point only inches from your clenched fists. Very useful for hand to hand close range combat. This was an easy one. They both successfully created the depiction on their very first attempts.

The fifth and final red ribbon scroll was incredible, to say the least. Until now they had been completely silent. Azula was the first to speak. "We should wait to do this one, it looks really powerful we could both get hurt." Kai knew that was a risk with this but he couldn't help himself. He had to try it. Azula understood and they both took their stance to begin.

The graceful and flowing movements of body and fire was astounding. This was the most advanced technique they had ever seen or done. The dancing dragon. These techniques were as old as firebending itself. And they were doing it without any practice or previous attempts. The warm glow of red and orange faded against the black background of the night sky. The only witness to the truly beautiful essence of these moves was the moon itself. Upon the last movement of the now heavily panting bodies was a double handed punch, landing both of the young firebenders faces only inches away. They had done it perfectly. For several long minutes it was silent.

They were ready. The final two scrolls lay neatly on the now damp ground. Kai moved to pick them up. Azula followed closely behind. As they reached the ancient scriptures Azula was the one to speak. "Which one should we read first?" Kai was silent. He hadn't thought about that. He bent over and picked up the one on the left. "We'll try this one first." He looked confident that he had picked the right one and she trusted him.

She trusted him.

She had never trusted anyone. Trust is for fools. She always used fear to get what she wanted. The only problem was that this man didn't fear her.

She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. Right now, she just wanted to learn the mystery of what these scrolls contained. "Well, aren't you going to open it or do I?" She was always sarcastic to him. It got things done a lot quicker. "Ok, here goes nothing."

It seemed they both held their breath for an eternity while the scroll was unwound.

There were no pictures. Only a simple sentence.

"True power stems from the absence of emotional attachments."

"Thats it?" Azula was mad. Kai was mad too. "We came all the way up here for something my crazy uncle could have told us?!"

"Im going to keep it. It could mean something if we ever figure out what it means." This seemed reasonable to Kai. "If it was important to the Fire Sages than it could be useful later on."

Quickly Azula grabbed the other scroll. "If this is another meaningless phrase..."

Azula stopped. Dead in her tracks. The look in her eyes was total awe. Kai quickly stepped over to see what the scroll was and he too stopped. There they stood for what seemed like hours. In reality it couldn't have been three minutes. Both of their eyes scanning and reading the scroll several times. If they could pull this off, they would be regarded as some of the strongest firebenders in history.

Lightning bending.

Kai was the first to attempt it. "I have to separate yin and yang and then recombine outside of my body." He closed his eyes. The task at hand demanded total focus. Following the depiction on the scroll he swung his arm around in a full circle. As his hand with his two out stretched fingers came close to completing the circle, several small flickers of lightning appeared jumping away from his hand. As he threw out his arm to shoot the lightning a loud boom over came the entire forest. He was thrown back threw the air as the space around his hand seemed to explode. It had taken less than five seconds to complete the full motion and land him back a considerable distance from where he was standing before.

"Kai!" Azula was scared. No she was terrified. As she reached his side he began to stand up. Other than the pain in his back from where he had hit the ground to the burn on his hand he was fine. Thank Agni.

"Let me try that again." This time he was even more focused than before so as not to repeat the incident of his first try. With a full circular swing his hand shot forward and from the ends of his now red scarred fingers, so did the lightning.

It was beautiful. It was also terrifying. The feeling coursing through his veins when the lightning was crashing through the black nighttime sky was exhilarating. It was also humbling. The great force of the element he now controlled proved quite satisfactory. After his successful endeavor, the Princess stood. She was going to get it on her first try. She had to.

And she did. Hers however, was smaller and less potent than Kai's. She didn't care. She now had a new element to add to her arsenal. Her father would be proud of her. Not that he wasn't already but she liked hearing it. She conjured two balls of flame in her hands and to her and Kai's surprise, they were a magnificent blue.

She clamped her hands shut and doused the flames. Never had she felt so powerful as she did today. Kai opened his hands and blue flames sprung forth into life. As of now they were both on top of the world. The sun was beginning to rise. The Firelord would be up soon and would be furious if he found the young Princess returning home in the early hours of the morning with a boy. Even if the boy was like family.

They snuck in through the window. The guards were easy enough to get by. It was a little unnerving actually. Any trained assassin could get in with no trouble at all if two children could. They found there way to their bed chambers and they decided to hide the scrolls in Azulas room. They began to dress for the day ahead. They would be tired but they could muster through their classes fairly easily now. Especially their firebending classes.

It was around eight that the servant arrived. The Firelord wanted to see him. Kai was shaking. Did the Firelord know? Had he sent spies to watch them? He couldn't imagine what was going to happen when he arrived in the firelords presence.

Azula was there already. By this time he was absolutely terrified. Of all the people in the world, Ozai was the only one he feared.

Kai bowed very low to the Firelord. Ozai grinned at him.

"Tell me Azula. This boy is a strong bender, a skilled fighter and forever loyal to the Fire Nation. Correct?"

Azula too was terrified, he could see it. "Yes Father."

"And you get along with him very well correct?"

"Yes Father."

"Very well than." Ozai was happy. About what though?

"You two were raised together and are equal in every way. Therefore, when you come of age, you will wed to each other."

Kai and Azula were absolutely speechless. They didn't love each other, did they?

"That is all, children, you are dismissed."

They couldn't get out that door quick enough.

Ozai sat there smiling smugly to himself. Of course he knew what they had done the night before. He had them watched constantly in case Azula and Zukos mother ever decided to try and take them back. Yes they were very powerful, even more powerful together. When they wed and had children, nobody would stand a chance. Ozai was going to see the end of this war, but his daughter held the key to the future of the royal family. And who better to marry her to than the most loyal citizen of the Fire Nation.

The two children stopped in the hallway. Neither of them spoke. What was there to say? They didn't want to talk about it right now anyway. They were tongue tied. The Firelord basically just married them off to each other already. Without another word, they both walked opposite ways down the scarlet red corridor. There would be plenty of time to talk about this later. Ozai had made sure of that.

**A/N: Well. The end of chapter two. Its slightly longer than the first. I promise I'll make them longer when the story gets good but for now I'm just sort of setting it up. Please Review! Let me know how I'm doing!**


	3. The Avatar Returns

**A/N: I'm sorry. I know I said I'd update once a week and it's been two weeks. I hope to remedy the situation now with chapter 3!**

**And Thank you to Cobalt Sunfire! My first review and it was a positive one!**

After the shocking news the Fire lord had given them, the two children spent four days out of each others company. It was from a messenger that Kai recieved the news. The Prince, Zuko, was to fight in an agni kai. Kai was expected to attend. He and Azula met in the corridor between their chambers. They left together in silence.

The prince was not a terrible firebender. He certainly wasn't as good as his sister or his future brother in law. Had he applied himself more, he could have been quite good. Either way, this was going to be an interesting match. It wasn't until the gong sounded did the attendees realize who Zuko would be fighting.

It was obvious from the prince's reaction that this was the first he learned of his opponents identity as well. Fear coarsed through his veins. That much was obvious. For the man on the other end of the court was none other than the Fire lord himself, Ozai. Zuko's father. The boy immediately dropped to his knee's and began begging for mercy and forgiveness.

"Fool. He should know father will only take offense to his actions. He should stand and fight like a warrior." The words sounded cold coming from Azula.

"You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher." Ozai was nearing his son now. Furious at the coward kneeled before him.

All that could be heard was a blood curdling scream. It was obvious Zuko would not walk away without a scar.

"This will not be the end of his punishment." Kai knew the Fire lord had a less than perfect relationship with his eldest son and he would probably take the chance to disown his own flesh and blood.

And with that everybody departed in silence as the soon to be ex-prince lay sobbing on the floor and his father departing as the victor.

It took less than three days. The Fire lord was insulted by his sons decision to not fight and had decided that banishment should be the obvious punishment. To hunt the Avatar was a failed mission by many great men and it was an obvious attempt to permanently get rid of the prince. Ozai's brother Iroh had volunteered to go with the banished prince and a small crew aboard a small vessel that, surprisingly, Azula had acquired for her brother. At the age of thirteen Zuko would leave his nation behind to take on an impossible task.

Kai knew he would fail. If he would not fight his father than he stood no chance against the man that controlled all four elements. However, this did pose a new idea. No, a new purpose in life for the young Kai. The Avatar has been missing for over 100 years. Many men, including past Fire lords Sozin and Azulon had tried and failed to find him.

He began researching the Air Nomads. The Avatar would have been reborn into one of the four temples. Sozin had been successful in destroying an entire population of people with the Great Comet. At least, thats what most people believed. He had failed horribly at what he had been attempting to do. It was well documented in Sozin's personal memoirs that he had been trying to kill the Avatar. Which he had not. With the Great Comet returning in less than four years, the Avatar, if he was still alive, would resurface soon. Kai just had to wait.

He would train, of course. He had to master the power of lightning in time so he could easily deal with the Avatar. He vowed, no prisoners. In order for the Fire Nation to completely seize victory the Avatar had to die.

**oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

He had been studying such topics since Zukos banishment, over three years ago. He had grown in more ways than one. He was a firebending master. Another trait he and Azula shared, blue fire. Lightning was one thing he had complete mastery over. He had studied the Avatar almost five generations back. He studied Roku the most though. It never ceased to amaze him that a being with so much power would not work with his home nation to rule the world. Perhaps he may have lived a little longer had he assisted Sozin. The walls of Ba Sing Se had yet to fall. When they did the war would be over.

It was around noon when he received the message. He was in the courtyard training. The Fire lord wanted to see him. Immediately. He quickly threw on his body armor and quickly made his way to the throne room. When he arrived, he was greeted by four guards by the entrance. There were usually none. After he entered they formed a fiery barrier, keeping the uninvited out. As he neared the throne he bowed as usual.

"Stand boy, we have received important information from Zhao." Ozai was irritated. Not his usual irritated. He seemed really mad about something.

Azula was already there, along with three of Ozai's top generals. Nobody else. Even the guards usually hidden behind the pillars were gone. Whatever was bugging Ozai was very important.

"Zhao has informed from his post in the far southern Earth kingdom that Zuko's ship docked with him and was heavily damaged." The Fire lord paused for quite some time, obviously calming himself. "He has informed me that the Avatar played a large part in it."

The Avatar. So, he was alive. Undoubtedly he must be ancient. Over a hundred years in age. He must have decided to come out of hiding to try and end this war. Why now, Kai was uncertain but Zhao was a loyal Commander. If he believed it was the Avatar, his word would be taken seriously.

"He has also informed me that he is an Air Nomad. However he is only a child."

"Impossible." General Poon was quick enough to discern this idea "The Avatar would have been born directly after Avatar Roku died. Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads one hundred years ago. Zhao must be mistaken."

"So you assume that the Avatar cannot put himself in a sort of hibernation state?" Azula looked to be very convinced that the Avatar had been found. "Even my idiot brother might be on to something."

"Perhaps. However unlikely." Ozai himself rarely smiled anymore. He truly found the idea of his son doing anything useful hilarious. "That is all Generals, you are dismissed. Remember, word of this news is not to get out to the public."

With a small bow all the Generals left the two teenagers and the Fire lord alone.

"... If Zuko does by chance bring the Avatar here what are we going to do with him father?" Azula was curious. She knew the answer already. It was obvious.

"He will die by my hand." Ozai was calmer than before but still tense. The Avatar was truly the only chance the world had of winning this war.

"So, he's back. He cannot be allowed to master the elements." This was the first time Kai had spoken. "He must follow the cycle, therefore he will go to the Northern Water Tribe to find a Waterbender. Then onto the Earth Kingdom and from there he must find a Fire bending master."

"Hmm. Yes, we must prevent this. I will find someone to lead a strike on the Water village. It will take time but if we can defeat them, all that will remain are the Earth Kingdom strongholds." Ozai looked to be deep in thought.

It was two months later that Kai dared approach the Fire lord with his request. It was late afternoon and the war meeting had just cleared. The Siege of the North would begin in less than a month and the final preparations and arrangements were being made. Admiral Zhao would lead the attack. The Avatar was also in the North. No doubt he had already begun learning waterbending. Perhaps he was a master already. Unlikely but possible. Now they had to stop his Earthbending progress. Or at least delay it until after the comet passed. Than there would be no world to save.

As he entered he bowed in respect to the Fire lord.

"Kai, what are you doing here?" Ozai was enjoying his tea. The only trait he shared with his fat brother.

"Firelord Ozai, no doubt that the Avatar has already begun his water bending training. He must be stopped from learning earth bending. I wish to travel on foot through the earth kingdom to follow him."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Ozai was slightly annoyed by the unexpected disturbance.

"As it is, the fate of the Fire Nations glorious conquest lies on the shoulders of the banished prince Zuko. This is unacceptable. The Avatar must be stopped if we are to win this war."

"Yes, this is true. Very well. You are to intercept the Avatar and kill him on sight. No prisoners. This is becoming a very pressing matter." Ozai seemed indifferent to the intentions of the fifteen year old in front of him.

And like that is was over. With a small bow to Ozai, the young firebender left. If he was to make it on time, he would have to board the ship today.

Of course this had all been planned out beforehand. There was absolutely no way that Zhao would be able to take the Northern Water Tribe with the Avatar present. You cannot fight such a power from a distance, it must be one on one for you to stand any chance of winning. The only obvious place for the Avatar to go after he defeated Zhao would be Omashu. The Earth Kingdoms second largest city. It would matter though, it was already under Fire Nation control. The Avatar would find not only a conquered city, but a very powerful firebender.

**A/N: Wow. 1700 words? Not bad. So, please review. I only have one and I really want to know what you think. Good or Bad. Let me have it.**

**Also, you may have noticed that this follows canon. Thats because its supposed to. I want this to follow the original story to an extent. So maybe if I feel up to it I will do another chapter this weekend...?**


	4. Unfortunate Omashu

**I've been inspired to write again, imagine that? I hope its not too far fetched of a story. Please review I _need_ feedback it keeps me going. The more reviews I get the faster I will update... just saying. This actually turned out pretty long. Cool.**

The young man now stood in a forest path, only a short distance from the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. He would be there by tomorrow if he kept going. It was getting dark already and he knew it would be much harder to travel by dark. He used restraint when firebending these days as he wished not to draw too much attention to himself. Its been almost a month since he left the Fire Nation, after the ship docked at the harbor, he left on foot. He now donned Earth Kingdom attire, however humiliating it was to be seen wearing such rags. He still remembered the night he left.

_It was the morning after he spoke with Ozai. The arrangements had been made and the only thing he had left to do was to tell Azula. That would be the hardest thing he had to do. But why? She was just his FRIEND. Nothing else. Why couldn't he believe that? Things have been so much harder after their betrothal. She still refused to speak of it. He couldn't blame her. They had been only friends and now they would one day be married. And they would have to consummate that marriage. The thought of taking his friend made him sick. Was this feeling sick or...? He was always confused since he realized that tid-bit of information. When he reached her bedroom door he stopped and stood there for a few minutes. He knocked, she came to the door and ushered him in._

_"Good morning Princess." This was it he thought._

_"Good morning Kai" She seemed a bit confused as to why he was here._

_"I have some news." He stopped and she seemed even more interested in him now. "I, have asked your father permission to pursue the Avatar."_

_She seemed hurt by this news. She quickly regained her composure._

_"Hmm. Why would you do that?" She still didn't sound exactly like herself._

_"Its my new purpose in life, Its what I will be remembered for sweetie." He winced at the last word. He hadn't used that word on purpose. She winced noticeably too. She didn't respond for a moment. When she did it was not what he expected. She walked over to him placed both of her hands on his shoulders and held him tight._

_"You do what you have to do, and I will do what I have to do." When she finished she looked him in the eyes with a look he's never seen before. It looked open and weak. She stood on her toes and moved her face only inches from his._

_"When do you leave?" Her tone was smooth and low, almost seductive._

_"The ship leaves in a couple of hours." The two teenagers foreheads were now touching. They could feel each others breath on their face._

_"I love you." The words left her mouth thought they were barely audible. He couldn't think straight after that. The two embraced for the first time ever and it felt right._

_"I love you too." They were still locked together. Seconds seemed like hours, and all he could think about was his lifelong friends smooth no, perfect lips pressed against his. It killed him to know that he would have to leave her in a couple of hours._

* * *

><p>He had been walking for hours. The thought of seeing Azula again kept him going. The sooner he got back, the sooner he could see his princess again.<p>

Omashu, the once great city now stood totally overrun. Even from the distance he was at, he was able to see the blood red flag of the Fire Nation. Even just knowing that this city had not even presented a fight angered him. This war would be over if the rest of the world was like this. Even as he thought his legs kept moving left right left right. New Ozai. All that remained was Ba Sing Se. What would that become? Great Ozai? He would worry about that later. He was already here, perhaps that was a secondary objective, to take Ba Sing Se to its knees. _  
><em>

A long metal walkway was all that seperated him from the city. As he neared the grand entrance he was confronted by two guards.

"Go away peasent, this city is restricted." The first guard approached him and he was dwarfed by the young man before him.

"I am Kai of the Fire Nation. I am traveling in disguise now let me enter." The Guards began laughing hysterically until the man Kai believed to be the commander came jogging out. He looked genuinely scared.

_"_Master Kai, please excuse their ignorance, welcome to our fair city the governor has asked you be brought directly to his home." The fat man was panting.

"Thank you sir, now please take me there before I throw one of these two off of this bridge." The two guards were now running to open the gates.

_Wonderful, my first ten minutes here and I can tell already this city wont last long if the Avatar arrives._

It did not take long to arrive at the palace. If that's what it could be called. The governor was the first to welcome him to the city. He was nervous, about something but he would not let on what.

"We shall speak over a nice dinner tonight." He paused "And I can inform you of the events that have happened recently.

"Please Governor, I could care less about this dirty earth city." Kai was annoyed that he had to deal with this cities problems now.

"You are wrong boy, you will want..." He couldn't finish before he was abruptly stopped when the young man lunged forward and grabbed the Governors neck with one hand.

"You should watch your insolence around me you washed up old man! I may not be royalty but that does not mean Ozai will be disappointed when I replace you with someone who has more respect for their superiors!" The young man was furious. He absolutely hated being told he was wrong. Especially as if he were a child. The last time someone had talked to him like this it ended with him being scolded by Ozai for burning the face of a servant. He was 11 then, and his temper had not waned.

"I apologize, sir. I meant no disrespect to you." The elderly man was quite shaken by what had just happened.

"I shall show mercy this time, governor, but do not let it happen again." The young man stormed off obviously furious and the governor was going to let him.

* * *

><p><em>When he received the message that the ship was ready to depart he was annoyed. He had just now become romantically involved with Azula, and he had to leave already. <em>

_"I hope this is over quickly..."_

_"So do I." The young princess seemed sad. Of course, he was sad too._

_"When I get back, I will take you somewhere very special and we can spend the rest of eternity together." Kai grabbed his princess tightly, why did he have to leave now?_

_On the deck of the ship he was wearing royal battle armor. It was true, Ozai treated him as his own. Well, not Zuko anyway. The air was warm, spring was abound in the Fire Nation. Too bad he would have to miss it. He knew the Earth Kingdom was cooler than here, but it didn't matter. The ships captain was now barking orders to the crew. They would be leaving soon. Kai glanced down at the harbor and noticed a familiar face._

_Ozai and Azula were there._

_Ozai seemed proud almost. His secret weapon was on it's way to secure Fire Nation victory._

_Azula seemed depressed. Her best friend. Her BOY friend was leaving the country._

_Kai gave only a stern emotionless look back to both of them as the ship began it five day long journey to the Earth Kingdom._

* * *

><p>It was growing dark outside when the servant approached.<p>

"The Governor asks for your attendance at his dinner." The servant bowed her head and proceeded to go back into the manor.

The young firebender slowly got up and followed the young woman to the dining hall. There he saw the governor and his wife with their young child, only an infant.

"I'm glad you decided to join us Sir Kai." The governor bowed his head in respect with a small smile.

"Yes, your presence is an honor." The woman now lowered her head and clasped her hands together. She was petite in figure and about as old as her husband.

"Thank you. I am grateful for you hospitality." Kai gave a small quick bow.

"Now, I believe we should cut to the chase and discuss what you were talking about early governor." The young man looked very impatient, as if he just wanted to get out of this city and continue his hunt.

"Very well. You see, you are behind schedule." The governor paused but not long enough for Kai to ask the question he wanted to. "You see, the Avatar has been here already. And two young women came to bring with them my eldest daughter to help them catch the banished prince Zuko and his uncle."

"What!?" Kai was furious. The Avatar had been here already! That meant the he had wasted a whole day in this putrid Earth city! He would have to walk all night for the next three day to catch them.

"This dinner is over! I want my bag brought to me immediately with a weeks worth of food! NOW!" The young man was growing even angrier thinking about the idiot governor stalling him for a whole day.

Then he remembered hearing something.

"You say they were looking for Zuko?" He looked incredibly menacing at this particular moment, probably mostly because of the bouts of flames spurting from his nostrils as he breathed.

"Yes, they were..." He was cutoff.

"Why are they hunting the Ex-prince?" His bags had been brought to him and he was now walking out the door as he paused and listened for an answer.

"Ozai has put a bounty on his head. Don't you want to know who the women are?"

It was too late though, he was gone. If he kept going and didn't stop but for a few minutes he could catch the Avatar in a matter of days. With any luck, he could catch the banished prince as a present for the Firelord. These women that the governor had spoken of did not matter to him, he could defeat whoever they were with undoubted ease. The next most logical place for the Avatar to go would be Gaoling. This time though there would be no meeting with the governor. He would tear the city apart until he found the Avatar or not, then he would move on. He only had a set amount of chances. If they entered Ba Sing Se, he would never find them. Or get to them for that matter. He could try and take over the city while he was here in the Earth Kingdom. So now he had three objectives.

1. Kill the Avatar

2. Capture Zuko

3. Conquer Ba Sing Se

Still, the glory he got would be a minimal part of his return. He really only wanted to get back to Azula.

**A/N: So here it is! Chapter four, I know it's kind of boring, or maybe not. I promise in the next chapter I will chop out a Fighting scene! I know right its about time. So, Please review, I dont care what it is, Send me a letter and a number. It doesnt matter, just as long as I know people are reading this. If I dont start getting some reviews, I may decide to cancel this story for lack of interest. Please dont make me do it. Until Next Time!**


	5. Awkward Encounters

**A/N: Wow. I am so sorry guys. This update took way too long and I apologize. I have been so busy lately and I hope my awesome readers will stay with this story to the end. I AM going to proofread this with a much stricter eye, it has been pointed out to me that too many errors have been slipping by. As always please review, good or bad I really need some feedback. Enjoy!**

After his hasty departure from New Ozai, the young Kai found himself walking down the heavily trodden earthen path to Gaoling. Gaoling was one of the Earth Kingdoms bigger cities that has yet to be conquered. Once again disquised as a refugee, Kai would have to hide his progidous firebending to avoid being attacked. Not that he couldn't defeat whoever dared fight him, he needed to remain low profile so as not to alert the avatar of his presence.

Gaoling was a fair distance from New Ozai, but if he kept going through the night, he should make it there by daybreak. Since his leaving the Fire Nation, Kai had discovered that night was his only companion these days. It helped hide his identity and there were few people to question him.

As he kept walking the monotonous pace allowed his thoughts to stray back to a certain princess. What was she doing right now? Was she also thinking of him? These thoughts seemed to make time speed up. The last time he looked, the moons postition indicated it to be around midnight. Now he looked and it was around four in the morning. A few more hours and he would be within destinies reach.

The Avatar would be captured, he would be headed home, and he would return to Azula.

It seemed that any thought of Azula made time leap. He was staring at the large stone walls surrounding the town of Gaoling. As he made his way to the gate, a large man dressed in Earth Kingdom armor approached him.

"Who are you and why are you here?" The young man asked.

"I have traveled all night. I am a refugee, my town was burned by the Fire Nation." Kai lied.

"What is your name?" The young man advanced towards him.

"Lee, sir. My name is Lee."

"Well, I'm sorry, but your luck has run out. We received word of your arrival in Omashu you Fire-scum!" The young man shot to large rocks at Kai's wrists before he could block them and pinned him against the wall.

"You think we didn't know the Firelords favorite little minion was in the Earth Kingdom? When we heard you were coming here we couldn't help but feel honored to know that we would be the soldiers who put an end to you."

As the young earthbender pulled his arm up to perform, Kai made his move. He charged a ball of lightning in his hands and shattered his rock restraints. He shot his foot up and caught the chin of the soldier, sending him sprawling on the ground. Almost simultaneously he shot his fists out at the other two guards who were not fast enough to avoid them. The sapphire blaze that extended from his limbs caught both guards in the chest and sent them flying backwards. All three men, defeated in less than a minute, remained down. Entering the city limits the young Kai turned back to address the weaklings.

"You thought you could hide the Avatar from his destiny, but not anymore. I have arrived to claim my prize and if I have to, I will burn this whole city to the ground." And with that, the triumphant boy turned and walked into the city of Gaoling.

With the newly risen sun at his back the young firebender walked into the center of the city square. The city was already bustling with people.

"I am looking for the Airbender!" The young Kai announced. "He is wanted for crimes against the Fire Nation!" The words Fire Nation and airbender got a few looks from the people but nobody seemed to mind him.

Suddenly a plan formed in his head. Looking around he noticed a cart full of cabbages with the elderly man pushing it. He suddenly launched a ball of blue fire at it and it burst into flames almost immediately.

"My Cabbages!" The merchant was almost in tears. Good. Suddenly everybody was watching him silently.

"As I said, I am looking for the airbender! Should anybody have any information regarding his whereabouts he will be greatly compensated."

After nobody spoke up he became enraged. He shot out his hand and set a group of shops ablaze. The people started panicking and ran and hid inside their homes. All except one. This particular man had long black hair a stern face and looked angry.

"I am Xin Fu. And I may have some information you might like." He was obviously a business man. "The Avatar took one of my contestants and I have been hired by her father to retrieve her. We could work together, you can have the Avatar and I get the young girl."

"They have been here already?" Kai was getting mad again.

"And left" Was the reply he recieved.

"Where did they go!?" He shouted at the man.

"They are probably going to Ba Sing Se. Free from Fire Nation persecution." The man sneered at Kai.

"Not for long." Immediately Kai turned around and shot the earth peasant with a nice blast of fire and sent him hurling back towards the now burnt cabbage stand. When the man awoke it was dark, he was injured and the Fire Scum was nowhere to be found.

* * *

><p>Immediately after leaving Gaoling, Kai found an ostrich-horse he could ride. It wasn't pleasant and not very fast but it was still faster and easier than walking. It wasn't hard to follow the Avatar. His furry flying beast was shedding. Leaving a nice trail of white fur to follow. Along the way though, the trail of fur was met by the tracks of a machine. A Fire Nation tank train no doubt. So he undoubtedly had acquired a competitor. Who though? Zuko no longer has the pull to get one of these. They wouldn't just trust anyone with one of these. It doesn't matter. He would find out soon enough. In the distance he could see a small deserted village, and the tracks of a mongoose dragon pointing directly towards it.<p>

As he rode, he thought up his plan. He would let whoever was on the mongoose dragon wear the Avatar and his company out, then go for the kill. He would have to kill the people on the lizard, as they wouldn't just hand over the most wanted man in the world. Then he could take the dragon back to the harbor and he would get to go home. A war hero.

As he drew nearer, he dismounted and ran to the village. He could now hear voices. They were talking. One voice was childish. Almost innocent. The other he thought he recognized but he dismissed it. As he found the source of the voices, the main road, he emerged from the shadows and was in utter shock.

Standing there, not twenty feet from him, was the Princess Azula. On his left was the Avatar, a young boy. And just past him was the Ex-Prince Zuko.

**A:N/ OOOH! How evil am I? What a cliff hanger! Again, I'm sorry this took so long and how short it is. (Thats what she said!) Bare with me please. Reviews people! I need them and you've got them. If you have any suggestions for another story that you would like to see, inbox me. Thanks guys, you've been great!**


	6. A New Mission in Mind

**A/N: Seriously you guys I am so sorry. I got really busy and sort of lost interest for a while. But I'm back now so I thought I should hurry and put up a new chapter and not keep you guys waiting so long. It is considerably shorter than my previous chapters but from now on I intend to keep them around 2000 words per chapter. Thanks again. Please review.**

The young firebender could not believe his eyes. Standing there, not twenty yards from himself, was Azula. The girl he thought he left behind in the Fire Nation. Even more he could not believe the other two people who were standing there now to his left. The Avatar, the last airbender, was only a boy. Ex prince Zuko was also here. What luck. He could kill the Avatar, capture Zuko and be with Azula. In just a couple minutes!

The young airbender was the first to speak. He gave a sigh of disgust. "More people trying to kill me?".

"I'm not trying." Kai responded "I'm going too!" With that Kai launched a massive ball of blue flame at the Avatar. At the same time, Zuko launched a red blaze at Azula. It neared its target but even he knew it wouldn't hit its mark. Kai's nearly struck the Avatar in the body but was blocked by a swift blast of air just in time. The bald monk countered with a decisive gust of air that struck Kai and sent him hurling back into the abandoned boarded up building behind him.

The fact that he hadn't ended the fight yet angered him. The idea that he was lying in a pile of musty timber while Azula was out there fighting by herself really angered him. Not that Azula couldn't handle herself. He knew she could. But if she were the one to kill Zuko and the Avatar? Kai would not be able to return to face Ozai. He had a months head start on her.

The thought of never returning home was enough to get the young firebenders blood pumping again. With one swift motion he released fire in every direction possible. The charred remains of the lumber scraps that once surrounded him were sent flying in all directions. The boy was out of the scraps just in time to block a strike from the Airbender aimed at Azula. He countered the blow with one of his own. A thing blue streak of fire was sent hurling towards the Avatar, but ncreased in length as it drew nearer and nearer to the monks body while also breaching the gap between him and the scarred prince. The Avatar dodged the attack and sent a blast of air towards the barren desert ground, sending a gust of sand at the firebenders face. Zuko spread his hands and redirected the blast around his earthen covered body. The princess sent a streak of blue lightning at Zuko, he nearly dodged the blast. Kai saw his opening and was about to send his own lightning at the prince, but he didn't see the airbender send the gust of air at his body until it was too late. He was sent full force towards another deserted wood building, this time busting out an old wall on his way.

As he rose he heard more voices.

"I know when I'm beaten." That was the Princess.

This didn't make any sense at all. He has never known Azula to give up.

Then he heard it. A blast of fire and lightning. A single move and then a torrent of power.

He blew his way back through the wall, now nothing more than a pile of rubble. He saw the Avatar, Zuko, two water tribe peasents and a little girl dressed in earth kingdom attire. And Iroh, laying on the ground with a large black mark on his body. But no Azula.

Seeing that he was outnumbered, he chose a similair strategy as his betrothed. He sent a massive wave of sapphire flame at his enemies.

And he seemingly vanished into thin air. But with a mission in mind, he had to find Azula. Knowing the Fire Nation well, he knew it wouldn't be too hard, just find the giant metal machine and follow it.


	7. Ba Sing Se, Then the World

**A/N: Sorry. That's all I can really say about my big delays in updates but I promise (And I mean it this time) that I will start updating more often.**

The sun began to sink below the horizon again, and with a new task in mind, the firebender decided his best bet for finding the Princess was to find a high vantage point and look for the trail of dark smoke that was sure to be the Fire Nations newest technology. After finding a mountain peak that seemed promising, he began the long hike up. He began to consider a question that's been nagging at him since he first laid eyes on the Princess yesterday.

Why was she in the Earth Kingdom? Had Ozai thought him to be as useless as Zuko? No. That couldn't be it. Even he knew Zuko was no match for him. Perhaps out of her own will? Had she wanted to show him up by capturing the Avatar before him? Convincing her Father that Kai was not valuable as a suitor for his daughter? Not that he cared of course. Or so he kept telling himself.

He was so caught up in the turmoil of his own mind that he nearly fell into the small body sized hole that was right in front of him. This was one of the weirdest things he had ever seen. The hole was about the size of his waist and surrounded by footprints and the tracks of a saber-tooth moose lion? Obvious signs of earthbending scattered the landscape. The footprints were small as well. Not child small but they definitely did not belong to a full grown adult. And then he realized the odd wind worn patterns in the rocks. What was going on here?

He nearly spit flames when he realized it. The Avatar had been here! He missed them! If he had been a little faster he would have run right into their hiding spot.

Perhaps they were still here.

He took off running to get to the top of the mountain. If they were still here they would surely have a campfire, and with darkness fast approaching they would stick out very well. He was nearly at the top when he heard voices.

"I saw him. He is here and if we find him he could be very useful for our plans in Ba Sing Se."

He listened closer.

"What are our plans in Ba Sing Se, anyway Azula?"

Azula! She was here, right in front of him. He was about to make his appearance known when she spoke up again.

"Not now Ty Lee, we are not alone." She spun around and sent a whirl of fire at Kai. Who ducked out of the way just in time.

"Stop!" He yelled "It's Kai!"

Almost immediately the attacks stopped. He walked out into the open space where the three girls were at. Illuminated only by the single ball of fire in the princess's left hand.

"I know." Azula stated "I was making sure you hadn't lost your edge out here amidst the savagery."

"Yes, well I hope I've been tested enough. Now what were you saying about Ba Sing Se?"

"Were gonna take it down in flames and send the Earth King crying home to his mommy." Ty Lee happily parroted whilst hanging upside down from a fairly large cactus.

"Specifically?" Kai asked still a bit confused.

"I'm not exactly sure but Admiral Qin has a machine he says is capable of getting us and the rest of the Fire Nation army through the wall and straight into the city."

The name Qin brought back a few last memories of Kai's father, none happy.

Azula paused and looked out over the now blackened landscape of the Si Wong dessert. Only a short distance away from where they were now.

"And my father wants me to personally head the operation." The proud smile that was her trademark had crept onto her face as she realized that she was the only one of her fathers subsidiaries that could be trusted to oversee such an important operation. Failure was never an option, especially now though.

"So is that why you're here? In the Earth Kingdom?" Kai stammered out.

"No, after you left my father received word that my fat uncle Iroh betray the Fire Nation at the North Pole and turned on Zhao. I was sent after Zuko and Iroh by my father." Her eyes made contact with his. "The Avatar and his cronies became a secondary objective for us. And with Ba Sing Se now within sight, our visit to the Earth Kingdom will be a short but glorious term."

"Ba Sing Se, the Avatar and the fallen Prince all at once!" Ty Lee was now doing cartwheels around the others. "We'll be heroes back home! The group of teenagers that ended Sozins war!"

"Hmph, when we win can you assign my dad to the South Pole?" Mai giggled at the idea of her parents freezing in the cold winter of the South.

"That can be arranged." Azula chimed in. The group shared a good laugh at the governors expense.

"Well? Are you going to help us conquer 'The Impenetrable City'?" Azula asked.

"The Avatar is probably on his way their now. Seeing as it's the Earth Kingdom's last stronghold. He would be safe their. For now. Once Ba Sing Se has been captured, he will have to run or fight. And if he chooses to fight it will be his last. I'm in."

"Good." She looked into the darkness for a minute. "Only one thing though. We only brought three mongoose lizards so.."

"He can ride with me!" Ty Lee screams could be heard from a great distance.

"Uhh i don't know..."

"That sounds great! Let's get moving. We have to be to the rendezvous point by tomorrow night or we'll have to ride these things all the way to Ba Sing Se." Mai cut Azula off before she could finish.

* * *

><p>It was a short, if somewhat uncomfortable ride to the rendezvous point. The speed of the lizards was leagues above that of the ostrich horse he had been riding previously. Once the group was at the point, they had a short time before their ride would be there. As they waited they began to each input there ideas as to how they were going to go about running the last Earth Kingdom city standing.<p>

"I say we burn everything." Kai said "It's the only way to really break the earth benders, take away everything they have." He paused "Not to metion it'll really taunt the Avatar's cronies, that is assuming I don't get to them first." The shaded smile that Azula secretly liked, though she would never admit it, reared itself on Kai's dirt covered pale face.

"If we destroy everything, there won't be anything left to rule over." Mai was once again being skeptical.

"Not to mention you and 'Zula are the only fire benders in the gro..." She was now chuckling and trying to cover it up but failing. "Oh, I see, you two lovebirds have fun with that then." Even Mai was now chuckling with her. Azula was trying to hold her evil glare but the red spanning her face was ruining the effect.

"N-not like that!" Kai was himself trying to hold back his blush.

The sound of roaring metal promptly ended the conversation. Three armed men were aboard the land tank. While smaller than the previous it was faster, which would suit the groups interests well. They boarded the armored vehicle with Ba Sing Se in their sights, particularly the Fire Nation base near the edge of Lake Laogai.

* * *

><p>The monotonous pace kept on for the uneventful three days of travel that followed. As they neared their destination they could hear the chatter of Fire soldiers and the pounding of metal on metal. Climbing out of the armored transport, Kai could see the soldiers moving around carrying around large pieces of what Kai could only assume was the drill. Other Fire Nation tanks were scattered about being tuned up. The standard quarter inch thick steel plating was being revamped to three quarter inch. Obviously to be used for the invasion. It would have to hold back the Earth Kingdoms most skilled fighters of course.<p>

"Ah. Princess, I see that your group made it here! With little difficulties along the way?" War Minister Qin seemingly appeared out of nowhere, walking past Kai, Ty Lee and Mai. Kai wanted to wipe his face in the dirt for laying a finger on his person, but he decided against it.

"We have made arrangements for all of you to stay, the drill is not quite finished. In a weeks time the siege will begin and you and your father will have the greatest city under your thumbs..." Qin was saying as he led the group away to their next temporary home. That was one thing Kai missed about the Fire Nation. He always knew he had a place to lay his head at night that didn't change from night to night.

**Authors Note: Wow. Really guys I am so sorry. I try to update when I can but with 3 jobs, school and chores I really have no time at all. Next chapter will be up within the month. Thank you for your continued support and staying with me.**


	8. The Drill

**A/N: My beloved and much appreciated readers, I am back! And as I usually do, let me first apologize for my tardiness in updates. Its been months but with school weighing me down so much, its been hard. Remember when I told you guys waaaaaay back, that this was going to follow the cannon storyline for a while then go off on a tangent? Prepare yourselves. So without further ado, let us rejoin Kai and the rest of the ATLA gaang!**

The early morning sun basked the young fire benders pale cool skin as he exited the small pathetic excuse of a tent he was forced to spend the night in, due to the lack of forewarning on his being there. It was time to do some practicing. After their arrival in the late of the night, Kai had been sent to a small facility for showering, regularly used by the infantry soldiers. It was uncleaned and the water was cold, being pumped directly from lake Laogai. It felt good for Kai, having the dirt, dried blood and whatever else had accumulated on his skin during his time in the Earth Kingdom, washed away down the drain systems. The cold water didn't appeal to his being a fire bender, but what choice did he have. His time in the showers had also given him a chance to reflect on everything that had happened in such a short time. He had been in a fight with the Avatar, the banished Prince and Iroh. He had been reacquainted with the Princess and her friends. He had traveled from the Si Wong dessert to Ba Sing Se in a matter of hours. Surely not how he had expected the day to go.

As he practiced his standard set of techniques, he embraced the calming sensation of being surrounded by fire benders. He never realized how much nicer it was being in the presence of those with a similar mindset and upbringing. His refocused his concentration on his practice. Kick. Punch. Swirl. Spin. Down. It had been quite some time since he had appreciated the actual beauty of the fire at his control. The glorious hue of blue life was at HIS control. Not Ozai's. Not Azula's. Not the Avatar's. Kai paused. Had he actually just thought that? This was the first time he had ever felt any sort of resentment towards The Firelord. Was it resentment? Or was it simply a misguided, spur of the moment thought? It had to be. Kai had been eternally loyal to the Firelord since he had first started attending school.

_It was the last day of the school week. Only a few minutes and all of us will be free. Kai couldn't wait. He would get to spend the entire weekend with his family in Capital City. Maybe he would even catch a glimpse of Firelord Azulon. Father is friends with Commander Qin, who will surely be a General before too long. He's one of the most successful leaders in the Fire Nation military. He has met the Firelord several times. _

_Maybe father will bring me with him, to meet the Firelord. Even just meeting the Princes Iroh and Ozai would be a great honor._

Kai's reminiscent flashbacks came to a startling halt when from over a loudspeaker came the booming voice of Admiral Qin.

"Would the Princess Azula and her friends please report to the War Chambers."

Hmph. War Chambers. Nothing more than a slightly larger tent with a fancy table inside. Kai made his way back inside his tent to change into something more appropriate.

After changing into a lighter, albeit more agile form of Fire Nation armor, Kai made his way to the war chamber. Azula, Ty Lee and Mail met him a the front door. Guarded by two soldiers in full armor they appeared quite uncomfortable in the heat of the morning.

"Ready to bring about the end?" Azula gave a snide remark, exuding her confidence in Qin.

"Im a bit skeptical of Qin's war machine. Nobody has ever gotten through that wall, why now should I expect it to change?" Kai was in disbelief at what he had just said. _To the Princess. _

"Hmph. Someone is in a grand mood today. What's gotten into you? You seemed so confident last night?" Azula was expecting an answer.

Kai felt very uncomfortable. Ever since he had arrived in the Earth Kingdom, he had been having, certain thoughts. He wasn't entirely sure where they were coming from, but they had to be suppressed. After all, they could be considered, somewhat treacherous.

"Uhh..." Kai stammered but was relieved to see Qin step through the door of the tent.

"Children, Princess." The Admiral flashed Kai a smirk. "I think you and your father will be very pleased with the drill. This machine will finally win us the Earth Kingdom, and the war." Qin ushered the group to enter the tent and led them to a table with a map of the Impenetrable City and the outlaying areas. There was a section of wall near their current position with a large, red 'X' on it. One could only assume. As the young group made their way to the seats around the table, Qin was already pitching his machine. He was solely focused on the Princess, making no effort to conceal the fact that he despised the rest of the teenagers presence in his war chambers.

"As you may have noticed, the secret war machine, is in fact a drill. Tomorrow morning, the completed machine will make its way to the wall with an escort of Fire Nation soldiers and tanks. Once the drill breaks through, our men will storm the city and lay siege. This is of course, a simplified version of the plan. I can get much more technical if you want?" Qin gave Kai a sideways glance. Probably somewhat hoping that they would not want a more detailed explanation.

"What kind of resistance can we expect from here to the wall? And inside the wall?" Azula was in royal mode. She had her focused, death glare on Qin and his every move.

"Minimal resistance until we make our final approach to the wall. Once inside, our soldiers will have to probably fight tooth and nail to set up a front line inside, where we simply wait for back up from the Fire Nation and the Firelord. The Earth Kingdom will fall within the next few weeks. And the war will be won." Qin was now smirking at the group with the most sinister look Kai had seen in years. The last time was on the one and only Princess.

_It was only a few days after Kai and Azula had been engaged to each other by the Firelord Ozai. Kai was now in the courtyard practicing his firebending, which was now blue after they had taken the scrolls up to the cliff to practice in secrecy. The young boy was intently focused on his firebending but heard the sounds of struggle in the distance. Naturally, he had to investigate. Ever so quiet and agile, he made his way through the shrubbery surrounding the courtyard. As he drew nearer to the sounds he could pick out the voice of the Princess and the grunting of a man, probably middle aged. As he rounded a large tree in the center of the gardens he saw one of the servants and Azula. The servant was a younger man, probably mid-twenties, short light brown hair. He was fairly well built for a servant. That was when Kai saw the small dagger in his hand, it was covered in blood. And Azula was standing a few feet in front of him holding her stomach, though Kai could see the blood trickling through her red clothes onto her hands. Thats when it hit Kai. An assassin. As well built as he was, he must be Earth Kingdom. The fact that Azula was bleeding was enough to infuriate Kai. He went to move at the assassin, but before he could move Azula was on the move. She drew her arm back and shot a blast of lightning at the assailant, hitting him square in the chest right into his heart. He was dead before he hit the ground. But it was not any of these details that Kai remember so well that haunted him. It was the look of sinister ambitions on Azulas face. She had spilled blood for the first time. And from the size of the grin across her face, it surely would not be the last time._

Kai had tried unsuccessfully to repress that memory. It haunted his dreams every night, why he did not know. He himself had killed people before, so why did it bother him to see Azula? He debated this issue as he went back to his katas at noon. The meeting had summed up with the breakdown of tomorrows schedule. At sunrise, the drill would depart the camp, three hours later they would arrive at the wall. Assuming everything goes according to plan, two more hours and they would be inside the impenetrable city.

* * *

><p>It was shortly after sunrise. Kai had been awoken by a soldier and given breakfast. Shortly thereafter he was escorted to the main deck of the drill with the girls. The drill was now roaring toward the great wall. Roaring was probably not the best word choice. The drill was moving at a crawl, the tanks at their sides were at half speed. The soldiers however, were moving at a brisk walk.<p>

Nearly three hours later, the Wall of Ba Sing Se was in sight. Azula, Mai, and Kai had been seated nearly the entire time, only getting up to stretch once. Ty Lee however, had gotten bored fairly quickly. Azula commanded Qin to give her a full tour of the entire drill to get the young performer out of the other threes hair. The "full tour" however, had only taken and hour and a half. That left her bored again for another hour yet.

Kai had been in deep thought since they departed. He couldn't understand why his time in the Earth Kingdom would have made him lose respect for the Firelord and the Royal family as a whole. Probably because of the actions of Iron and Zuko. Kai began to wonder why that would affect his perception of Ozai and Azula. It was a foreign concept to the young firebender. Thinking of the Firelord by his name. Ozai. It didn't just feel normal to Kai. Calling him the Firelord felt, uncomfortable? Kai had begun to consider why a title meant anything to anyone. The people of other nations would spit at the title of Firelord. Fire School children would bow at the mention. Kai would, as he recently realized, become the second in command in the Fire Nation in a time to come. With his wedding to Azula, she would become Firelord and he would be her husband.

_Or I could challenge, and probably take down, both. Then Fire Nation children would bow to me._

Kai visibly jumped at that thought. What had he just thought!? These daydreams could get him killed. Then again, he could be killed here today. Kai still did not possess much faith in Qin's machine. He suddenly regretted not going on the tour with Ty Lee. He wished he knew more about this machine.

"What's with you lately?" Azula's cool voice sliced into his train of thought and severed it instantly. Kai took a moment to recollect himself, noticing that he was sweating profusely.

"Well?" Azula wanted an answer. Understandably

"I was, just, thinking about things. Bad things, things from my past I don't feel like discussing right now." Kai inwardly flinched when he realized how snide his comment had been.

"I know your'e lying. But if you don't want to talk about it, I certainly can't make you." Azula was now refocused on whatever she had previously been thinking about.

_"I certainly can't make you." _These words stuck with Kai. She couldn't make him. She couldn't make him do anything. Did she doubt her combative skills compared with his? Or was she baiting him?

Some Earth Benders outside the drill were making some minor interference's. Azula casually sent Mai and Ty Lee to fight them away. The two doing so without any objections.

"So what exactly is bugging you? Ever since we met up in the dessert you've been very disrespectful to your Princess and betrothed." Azula would surely not be taking any nonsense answers this time.

"I've been very, uhm, conflicted. About some of my future commitments and some things I had taken for granted are coming into question." Kai wasn't lying. Just not revealing everything.

"As long as neither of these 'conflicts' are of me and your loyalty to your Nation. Then I don't care." She was scanning his face. Looking for any signs that might give him away. But he was as cool and collected as she was. And as such, kept them very well hidden.

Kai had been so deep in thought, it could him off guard that they were so close to the wall now. His only way of realizing was hearing some clattering of rocks on metal. Ty Lee and Qin were bantering about an impenetrable shell or something. Kai could care less.

"Look at the dust. Its all Poofy. Poof" Ty Lee's comment caught everyone off guard.

Kai was looking at Azula. Waiting for some sort of command. Instead, nothing. Although Kai could pick up some skepticism in her eyes.

_The same eyes he knew were capable of raw destruction._

The drill had now made contact with the wall. It was a loud rumble and a large shake but it was flawless. Kai had to admit he was impressed. He had questioned whether the machine would even make it to the wall in the first place. That was when an engineer burst in the door. He informed Qin that one of the engineers had been ambushed and his schematics stolen. Also noting that one of the braces inside the drill had been cut clean through. "_Here we go."_ Kai thought.

"Lets move. NOW." Azula barked the command and Kai and the girls jumped. Qin was noticeably disappointed, of course. The group moved quickly through the corridors from the main deck to the area between the outer shell and the actual drill. They could hear the voice of a young man shouting chants of encouragement? Kai thought this was odd. Not very stealthy on their part.

They rounded the corner and walked out onto an adjacent thick steel beam that ran horizontal to the upright pillars holding the drill up. There they could see the avatar, a young female waterbender and a non bender male. He was the one shouting the words of encouragement. Azula shot a small shot of fire at the non bender. He shouted and ducked out of the way.

"It's the Avatar. And friends." Ty Lee was flirting with the non bender. Of course she was, Kai thought.

The air nomad and his friends began to run back down a corridor. They split up at an intersection, the water siblings running right and the Avatar left. Azula and Kai followed the air bender and Ty Lee and Mai followed the others. The Avatar used his air bending and gained remarkable ground away from the two fire benders. Kai let Azula get ahead by a ways, maybe twenty feet.

_If the Fire Nation takes Ba Sing Se, they've basically won the war. If this operation fails, the Firelord will lose a great deal of respect, so will the Princess. After the Siege of the North's failure, another major loss could result in riots and distrust in the Royal Family. The perfect time for a new leader to step in._

Kai felt uneasy, and more conflicted than ever now. Was he considering doing what he was thinking?

Once Kai reached the end of the corridor, their was a hatch leading to the top of the drill. Azula and the Avatar were in combat, the Avatar was trying to buy time, he was cutting an X into the top of the drill. There were boulders falling all around him. He was fending Azula off fairly well. With a gust of wind, he sent Azula back a quarter of the distance of the drill. Only fifteen feet ahead of Kai. She looked back, gave him a smirk and looked back forward toward the Avatar. Who was now shaping a boulder into a large spike, right above the X. Time seemed to slow for Kai. He saw Azula begin to stand as if she was going to lunge.

He took a deep breath.

In one swift movement, Kai swung his whole body in a circle, with his leg leading. The end of his leg was followed by a large trail of blue fire that followed his direction and made a direct hit to the Princess' right leg.

**A/N: OOOOOH. Cliff hanger! Arent I just an evil lil squirt? Anyway. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. ANYTHING AT ALL. Just need to know that theres still interest in this story. THANK YALL catch ya on the flip side!**


End file.
